Hydrocarbon-furnace



(No Model.)

J.H.POSTER. HYDROGARBON FURNACE.

No. 594,941. 'Patented Dec. 7, 1997.

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' to obviate the danger of explosions.

PATENT EETCEo JOHN H. FOSTER, OF BROOKLYN, NEVYORK.

HYDROCARBON-FURNACE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 594,941, dated December 7, 1897.

Appuaion mea August 28, 1896.

To all whom t may concern;

Be it known that I, JOHN I-I. FOSTER, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hydrocarbon-Furnaces, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

This invention relates to furnaces or burners adapted for the combustion of hydrocarbons either in liquid or in gaseous form in which the hydrocarbon being in aliquid form the liquid is first vaporized or decomposed and the resulting vapor or gas is immediately mixed with air and undergoes combustion. If the hydrocarbon is already in a gaseous form, the preliminary vaporization is of course unnecessary, but the subsequent combustion is conducted under the same conditions in both cases.

In the main the object of my invention has been to improve those parts of the furnace which are directly concerned in the combustion of the fuel with a view to obtaining the maximum of efficiency with a given quantity of fuel, and also to enabling the combustion to be controlled always. Incidentally to these main features of the invention I have sought to improve the construction of the furnace or burner in such Amanner as to permit the furnace to be adapted readily to different requirements and as to render the cost of construction as low as possible. Safety in use has also been a desired result, and the furnace or burner is so devised or arranged as Moreover, in the special adaptation of the furnace or burner Which I have chosen for the illustration herein of one embodiment of my invention there are certain features of improvement which will be more particularly referred to hereinafter. As s uch an embodiment of the invention I have represented it as adapted for application to an ordinary cook stove or range in such a form as to permit the stove or range to be used with the improved furnace or burner or with ordinary fuel, as may be desired from time to time, Without requiring any changes therein. The invention will be explain ed-herein with especial reference to this particular application Serial No. 604,152. (No model.)

-of it; but itwill be understood, nevertheless, that I do not intend thereby to limit the invention to the described application thereof, nor to the particular construction and arrangement of parts illustrated and described herein.

In the drawings, Figure l is a plan view of a portion of an ordinary cookstove or range to which a convenient form of the improved furnace or burner is applied, the lid over the furnace or burner being removed to show parts beneath. Fig. 2 is a partial section on the planeindicated by the line a; @c of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the furnace removed from the stove or range, and Fig. 4t is a horizontal section ou the plane indicated by the line y y of Fig. 2.

The stove or range to which I have represented my improved furnace as applied has an ordinary top A, with two holes over the fire-pot B, the top being rabbet-ed, as at a a', to receive the usual lids and the removable center piece, the rabbet a being straight and tangential to the circular rabbets a, which receive the lids. The usual water-back is represented at O, the oven-wall at O', and the flue over the oven at B.

All of the parts thus far referred to may be of any ordinary orpreferred construction and arrangement, my improvement being wholly independent thereof, although herein shown and described with especial reference to its use in connection therewith.

When the improved furnace is to be applied to a cook stove or range, as represented herein, I prefer to support it by means of a plate D,which is itself applied to the stove or range when the lids and center piece have been removed therefrom and is itself provided with pot-holes, fitted with removable lids D D in the usual manner. The plate D is provided with lugs d d, (shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1,) which engage the stove-top Ato keep the plate from shifting about, and is also provided on one side with a straight ange d' to t against the edge of the straight rabbet a'. That portion of the stove-top A which carries the straight rabbet a is liable to be warped more or less; but as the-edge of the rabbet bears against the vertical hanged' no very IOO wide crack can be opened between the stovetop A and the plateD for the admission of air,

which would be extremely undesirable. If necessary, the space between the rabbet and the flange d can be filled with cement or any other suitable material to insure the exclusion of air.

For the support of the furnace the plate D is provided between the two pot-holes with a rabbeted scat d2, upon which the furnace rests,as hereinafter described, and from which it is readily removable whenever it is desired to use the stove exclusively with wood or coal as fuel, when a lid replaces the furnace.

As represented herein, the furnace comprises a chamber (indicated as a whole by the reference-letter E) and a vaporizing-tube or retort-tube F, means being also provided for supplying the hydrocarbon or other fluid fuel, it being understood that if the fuel is already in a gaseous form the retort-tube F ceases to have any particular function in converting the fuel from one state or condition to another and might then be replaced in the particular construction shown by a solid bolt. The chamber E might be made in one piece; but to facilitate and to reduce the cost of manufacture, as well as to permit the action of the furnace to be modified readily to suit varying requirements, I prefer to make the chamber of a series of sections e, c', e2, e3, and e", which maybe secured together by any suitable means or as describedhereinafter. The upper section c, however', is preferably not secured to the others, but rests upon the section e' and is readily removable therefronn carrying a cap cx, which under the ordinary conditions of use in cooking covers loosely the burner or burner end of the retort-tube F. At each end and side of the cap c are openings through which thc air is admitted freely'to mixv with the vapor or gas within the chamber an d thereby promote the combustion thereof. The section c' of the chamber has a flange eX to rest upon the seat cl2, whereby the furnace is sustained in operative position, and preferably it has also formed therewith or carries a shallow cup f, into which the retort-tube F is tapped. The sections e and e' retain their relative positions under ordinary conditions of use; but the sections e2, e3, and e4 may be arranged in different relation. I have shown them herein and will proceed to describe them as arranged in that relation which I have found to give the most.

satisfactory results in general use. The section e2 has solid walls, which are preferably wed ge-shaped in cross-section for reasons to be set forth hereinafter. The section e3 has its walls cut away to form an opening or openings cSX. The section e4 has solid walls, which are also preferably wedge-shaped in crosssection.

As a convenient means of securing the several sections together the retort-t-ube F may be threaded externally to receive the nut f', upon which rests the bridge-piece f2, which supports the lower section c4 and binds the sections firmly together, each section being provided with dowels, as at e0, to insure the proper position of one section upon another. The chamber thus formed, as it will be seen, has an opening or openings at one end for the admission of air, an opening or openings at the other end, through lthe section e", for the exit of the burning gases, and an intermediate lateral opening or openings, as at ci, which in practice largely increase the efficiency of the burner. The burning gases pass out through the end of the cylinder and burn with a flame of intense heat, which substantially fills the fire-box of the stove and produces the best results. I have found that the best results are produced when the area of the opening or openings @"X is substantially equal to eighty per cent. of the area of the opening or openings for the admission of air at the end of the chamber.

An obstruction-plate f3 is supported by the bridge-piece f2 and restricts somewhat the area of the opening through the section c, through which the burning gases pass out into the lire-pot. A nut f4 supports slightly below the bottom of the cup fa plate f5, which operates as a dash-plate or spreader to deflect and break up the currents of gas or vapor which pass down from the burner and to effect the proper mixture thereof with the atmospheric air. The deflector-plate f, having, if desired, an opening f7 near its upper end, is also supported upon a retort-tube F between nuts f8 and f, this plate serving, in the construction shown, to direct the burning gases against the water-back C to some extent. The retort-tube F is placed in a substantially vertical position, with its lower endclosed and its Lipper end open, the mouth of the rtort-tube not being constricted, but having the same diameter as the interior of the tube. It is placed in a substantially vertical position, in order that the hydrocarbon or other liquid fuel may drop by gravity from the end `of the supply-tube Gr above the retort-tube directly into said tube.

The tube G represents the means for supplying fuel to the furnace and in practice is connected to a convenient source of supply, which it is not necessary to show. The oil is allowed to flow slowly through the tube G and drops from its end into the retort-tube F.

In operation the oil is allowed to flow until it has filled the retort-tube and overflows the edges of the cup f. It is then lighted, and all of the ordinary drafts of the stove below the fire-pot having been closed and the direction of the current of air through the chamber E being downward the Haine is carried downward and quickly heats the retort-tube F to a red heat, so that the oil therein is vaporized, the fiame meanwhile increasing in volu me and-becoming more intense. Thereafter each drop of oil as it falls into the retort and reaches or approaches the bottom thereof is immediately vaporized or decomposed, and the vapor or gas which passes over the edge of the cup f and between it and the cap eX con- IOS IIC

tinues to pass downwardly into the chamber and, being deilected by the spreader f5, is thoroughly mingled with the incoming air, so that the most perfect combustion takes place. As the vapor or gas and air pass together through the section e2, with its inwardly-inclined walls, the volume is reduced slightly while combustion takes place, and a more thorough mixture of the air and gases is effected. The burning gases pass on through the section e4 into the fire-pot. lVhen the openings through the section e are left unobstructed, the flame fills the fire-pot uniformly on both sides of the furnace. v If it should'be desired to throw the llame more toward one side than the other, a slip-plate H is placed across the opening through the section e on that side toward which it is desired that the llame shall be directed. If it is desired that the top of the stove shall be mainly heated, as when liatirons are to be heated, the section e, with the cap eX, is removed, and a plate of suitable shape is put in place over the furnace, resting in the depressed portion di of the plate D. The flame then impinges directly against such plate before it descends through the chamber E, thereby heating it uniformly with the lids D D. The plate :rests upon the rabbets formed for it at d4 d4.

It will be readily understood that the parts shown and described herein may be of different form and construction and may be arranged in other relations than as shown in the drawings without departing from my invention. It will also be understood that the furnace may be applied to other uses than the par- -ticular use which I have referred to herein.

I claim as my invention- 1.- In a hydrocarbon-furnace, the combination of a substantially vertical retort-tube and means to supply a hydrocarbon at the upper, open end of said retort-tube and permit it to drop into said retort-tube. f

2. In a hydrocarbon-furnace, the combination of a substantially vertical retort-tube with its mouth upward and a supply-tube for the hydrocarbon terminating above the upper, open end of said retort-tube and permitted to drop into said retort-tube.

3. In a hydrocarbon-furnace, the combination of a substantially vertical retort-tube having its mouth upward, a chamber inclosing said retort-tube open at the top for the admission of air and at the bottom for the exit of burning gases and means to supply a hydrocarbon at the upper, open end of theA retort-tube and permit it to drop into said retort-tube.

4L. In a hydrocarbon-furnace, the combination of a substantially vertical retort-tube having its mouth upward, a cup surrounding lthe upper end of said retort-tube and means to supply hydrocarbon at the upper, open end of said retort-tube and permit it to' drop into said retort-tube.v f

5. In a hydrocarbon-furnace, the combination of a substantially vertical retort-tube,

having its mouth upward, a cup surrounding the upper end of said retort-tube, a cap to cover said cup and means to supply a hydrocarbon beneath said cap and at the open, upper end of said retort-tube and permit it to .drop into said retort-tube, an opening being left between said cup and said cap.

6. In a hydrocarbon-furnace, the combination of a chamber, a burner located in said chamber, said chamber being open at one end for the admission 0f air and at the other end for the exit of the burning gases and having an intermediate, lateral opening and means to supply a hydrocarbon to said burner.

7. In a hydrocarbon-furnace, the combination of a chamber, a burner located in said chamber, said chamber being open at one end for the admission of air and at the other end for the exit of the burning gases and having an intermediate, lateral opening, said lateral opening having an area substantially eighty per cent. of the area of said opening for the admission of air and means to supply a hydrocarbon to said burner.

8. In a hydrocarbon-furnace, the combination of a retort-tube formed with or having a burner at one end, a chamber surrounding said retort-tube and burner, said chamber being open at one end for the admission of air and at the other end for the exit of the burning gases and having an intermediate, lateral opening and means to supply a hydrocarbon to said retort-tube.

9. In a hydrocarbon-furnace, the combination of a substantially vertical retort-tube having a burner at its upper end, a chamber surrounding said retort-tube and burner, said chamber being open at its upper end for the admission of air and at its lower end for the exitof burning gases and having an intermediate, lateral opening, and means to supply a hydrocarbon to said retort-tube.

10. In a hydrocarbon-furnace, the combination of a retort-tube, means to supplya hydrocarbon to said retort-tube, a chamber surrounding said retort-tube, and a cup carried by said chamber,said retort-tube being tapped into the bottom of said cup, substantially as shown and described. p

1l. In a hydrocarbon-furnace, the combination of a chamber composed of a series of sections, a cup carried by one of said sections,a retort tube exteriorly screw threaded and IIO tapped into the bottom of said cup, a nut mounted upon said tube and a bridge-piece resting upon said nut and in contact with the end section of said chamber, whereby all of said sections are held firmly together, sub! stantially as shown and described.

12. In a hydrocarbon-furnace the combinal tion of a burner, means to supply a hydrocarbon to said burner, a chamber surrounding said burner and composed of a series of sections superimposed one upon another, one of the intermediate sections having its walls cut retort-tube and surrounding the same below said burner and within said chamber, substantially as shown and described.

This specication signed and witnessed this 27th day of August, A. D. 1896.

JOHN H. FOSTER.

In presence of- W. B. GREELEY, E. MAY Ross. 

